$1500 Photo/Video Editing PC - No Monitor

[JJJetel]

Hi folks,
I'm humbly approaching the altar here.
I'm looking to build a quiet, well cooled PC for photo/video. I'd like to keep it sub 1500.

The video guys website leaves me with a couple questions, they provide great framework, but I don't know enough to make the leap on certain things.
I've looked through the new build forums



Approximate Purchase Date: within the next two weeks

Budget Range: under $1500 or so

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Multi-tasking(I usually will edit files, scan, research, and listen to music)Editing many large RAW files, liquify on files up to 4gb, batch processing large amounts of files, tethering to large megapixel backs, a lot of peripherals, video editing.

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor - do need Windows

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: amazon, newegg,

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preferences: Intel / NVIDIA

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Not really sure what that is, the video card forums I read have SLI mostly in reference to gaming.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or higher

Additional Comments: My priorities are A) Reliability B) Speed C) Quiet - Want it to be as quiet as possible while still being very fast.

I'm thinking about the following, and would appreciate advice on the options and other components.

CPU: I've been trying to get a solid answer about the I7-950 vs the I7 2600k in video editing performance, but can't seem to find a thread that deals with that specifically. I would entertain the idea of the 970 if it were imperative to the success of the system. I also have been hearing about the Xeon series for this kind of work.
Mobo: This would be where I'm completely dumbfounded. The video guys website points me towards ASUS, but from there, I have no clue.
Gfx: Dual head something. Quadro 1800 or GTX 400/500 series, I'd love for it to be quiet, I know the quadros are optimized for my kind of work.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127564&cm_re=GTX_570-_-14-127-564-_-Product ??

Case: I'm not sure, I've been looking at the build a silent PC website, but I'm not sure what I really need in terms of space. I will be looking to upgrade and just want a case that has enough room, can keep things as cool as possible, and is quiet.
Cooler: No clue here. I won't be gaming, but the work tends to be intensive. What will I need? Water? Noctua fans? How many, oh god.
Drives: I keep hearing about getting a 120 SSD for the boot drive,two smaller drives for a striped raid 0 scratch disk, and then some other pair for data.
RAM: Looking between 12-24gb, whatever combination works with the processor mobo. I don't want any issues down the road with the quality though.
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011 - Not sure about how loud it is.
Optical: LG BD-rom UH10LS20

I've looked through the new build forums, looking for a request that was similar to mine. This - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/308481-31-graphics-video-editing-1600-stable-quiet
was the closest to what I'm looking for, but not quite.

Any help you can provide would be so very appreciated.
If there is anything I'm missing or any more research I need to do, please let me know.
Thank you for your knowledge and courtesy.
-JJ

 

[jerreddredd]

Ok, first off your budget is a little low for what you want to accomplish.
I provided below what I think is good solution using your suggested GPU (which is a good pick, but it may more than you need).

Here is a good article on building video editing workstation:
http://www.videoguys.com/Guide/E/Videoguys+System+recommendations+for+Video+Editing/0x4aebb06ba071d2b6a2cd784ce243a6c6.aspx

This is a article on memory usage that might help with down grade decissions.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ram-memory-upgrade,2778.html

Graphics wise, a a Quadro 2000 is $429 on Amazon.com. The Quadro 1800 is no longer manufactured, but can be found on Amazon also for $300.

I think power wise, certainly CUDA core wise even the GTX560 Ti is more powerful than both those cards and is $100 less than the GTX 570 i used in the build.

Storage wise you should have a boot drive and a work drive. The boot drive would be the SSD (100-120GB is a good size) and the work drive would be ideally; 2 drives in RAID 0 for performance. I would go one step farther and do 3 drives in RAID 5 for perfomance and fault tolerance, unless you are really good about backing up your work.

at the end of the list I put some options:

This will be a very quiet build. (Built on NewEgg.com)
Fractal Design Define XL Black ATX Full Tower Silent PC Computer Case (comes in White too and Black with a grey front panel)
Item #: N82E16811352005
$149.99

XIGMATEK eXTREME SILENT Series XSF-F1452 140mm Case Fan (this will be the rear fan in the case, the installed rear fan will move to the front so they are a matched pair)
Item #: N82E16835233086
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$9.99

Western Digital RE4 WD1003FBYX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (designed for RAID use)
Item #: N82E16822136798
$239.98 (2x$119.99)

MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II OC GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ...
Item #: N82E16814127564
$354.99

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817151087
$159.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
$9.98

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
Item #: N82E16820231445
$239.98 (2x$119.99)

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157229
$159.99

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Item #: N82E16819115070
$314.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116758
$139.99

COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 compatible GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835103046
$39.99

LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136181
$89.99

Corsair Force CSSD-F115GB2-BRKT-A 2.5" 115GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820233160
$209.99
----------
$2,119.84

OPTIONS:

Addtional HD's (+1) for RAID 5:
Western Digital RE4 WD1003FBYX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136798
+$120

Down Grade GPU to a GTX560 Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565
Item#: N82E16814127565
- $100 ($260)

PNY nVidia Quadro VCQ2000-PB (the 1800 is no longer produced, this is the replament).
http://www.amazon.com/PNY-nVidia-Quadro-PCI-Express-VCQ2000-PB/dp/B0046HSHD0/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302686156&sr=1-1-catcorr
+$95 ($449)

downgrade 8GB RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
Item #: N82E16820231445
- $120

Cost saving:
Dropping the SSD and adding a 500 GB HD ($50) as the boot drive, replacing the GTX570 for a GTX 560Ti, reducing the RAM to 8GB, and the work drive to a single drive instead of RAID 0 array brings the build to $1525.

you could also reduce the size of the work drive and use 500gb enterprise drives and save $40 each, or just a single drive.

 

[JJJetel]

This certainly clears up a lot of those seething doubt.
Thank you for giving shape to some of the shadows.

I understand the budget is leaning on the low side, but I'll be upgrading as I go along.
Can I paypal you 10 bucks for your time? Is that insulting? I'd buy you lunch but this is the internet. I don't know the etiquette when someone helps you like this.

Thanks.
JJ

 

[jerreddredd]

This certainly clears up a lot of those seething doubt.
Thank you for giving shape to some of the shadows.

I understand the budget is leaning on the low side, but I'll be upgrading as I go along.
Can I paypal you 10 bucks for your time? Is that insulting? I'd buy you lunch but this is the internet. I don't know the etiquette when someone helps you like this.

Thanks.
JJ

Thanks are just fine. you may get a few more responses, so I would leave the thread open for another day. when you are satisfied just select the best response and the thread will close.

if you go with my cost saving advice you can build on it in stages as funds are available.
in this order (assumes starting with a boot drive and a work drive):
add 1 or 2 HD's for Raid work drive (leaving the single as the boot)
then its a toss up between
SSD (replaces boot drive)
+8GB ram
if you go with the GTX 560 Ti GPU you can always add a second in SLI for more GPU power.

 

[jgr_bgpc]

A couple notes:
Careful getting two video cards, as most production programs won't utilize more than one (such as photoshop).
Having the striped raid only as a scratch disk for photoshop (with nothing on it) will likely be your largest photoshop performance boost, especially at that file size.

Check out this NZXT case. It looks like it may fulfill your needs and save you a few bucks.

 

[JJJetel]

I'm going to stick to the 560 Ti for now, that NZXT case has some Stormtrooper appeal though.
My current battle is between the Asus P67 Sabretooth which is 40 bucks off at Newegg, and the Asrock p67 Extreme4. Everybody on here seems to love the ASRock, but they're nearly the same price with the combo discount (gskill ram).

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to make sure to get my scratchdisks in order.

Best,
JJ

 

[jerreddredd]

A couple notes:
Careful getting two video cards, as most production programs won't utilize more than one (such as photoshop).
Having the striped raid only as a scratch disk for photoshop (with nothing on it) will likely be your largest photoshop performance boost, especially at that file size.

Check out this NZXT case. It looks like it may fulfill your needs and save you a few bucks.

I love NZXT cases. They have great customer support. The big issue with this case is finding a place that stocks them.

This is a mid-tower version of the Fractal Design Define XL.
Fractal Design Define R3 (comes in Black, White and Black with a Grey front panel) $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352002&cm_re=fractal_design-_-11-352-002-_-Product

I originally went with the full tower because you said that you wanted "a case that has enough room, can keep things as cool as possible, and is quiet" Scaling down to a mid tower you will sacrifice a little cooling, but this can be made up with air flow via fans (it has mounts for seven). This is important to understand, because unlike a normal case in which heat can dissipate via the metal case, a silent style case is insulated and keeps sound and heat in. A larger case (Full ATX Tower) tolerates this better, because of greater air volume. Reducing the volume means you must exchange air more often to keep the temps down.

 

[JJJetel]

Best answer selected by JJJetel.